


Those Early Romantic Overtures

by egglorru



Category: The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards
Genre: I mean Brand is in it so, Language, M/M, set immediately after the epilogue of The Last Sun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:54:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22549645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egglorru/pseuds/egglorru
Summary: "My boyfriend, I've come to learn, is not very impressed with flowers or candy." - Addam, The Hanged Man ch. 7
Relationships: Rune Saint John/Addam Saint Nicholas
Comments: 20
Kudos: 73





	Those Early Romantic Overtures

The day after the barbecue, Addam's phone makes an unintrusive kissing noise that surprises him as he finishes lunch. When he glances at the screen, he smiles despite himself. Quinn has never bothered to change the ringtone for any of his past romantic interests, so perhaps this is a good omen, despite the fact that it was surely done to tease him for how often he talks about Rune.

_thanks for the flowers_

Addam's smile widens with satisfaction. While he's beckoning his server, his phone makes two more generic chimes, which he checks after handing over his credit card.

Ah.

Apparently Rune's lack of understanding of technology in general also extends to the use of punctuation to nuance a text with emotion.

Brand has texted a photo: a very sleepy, bedraggled Rune taking flowers from the delivery man. He looks confused, but at the flowers themselves, not the delivery.

Rune doesn't know what to do with them, Addam realizes. He thinks as an aside that Rune looks very cute with his hair sticking up every which way. It's quite disarming. It's also half past one in the afternoon.

A text follows the photo: _To be fair, if you'd sent him a live plant instead of fucking dead ones, he'd still have managed to kill it inside of a fucking week._

The text thread bumps to accommodate another photo: Rune giving the flowers to Queenie, who is reacting much more typically to the gifting of flowers than Rune managed. Addam sighs, picturing the smirk on Brand's face as he sent the second photo. Well, his boyfriend is happier with a more casual approach to romantic overtures than his previous too-forward advances in the Westlands, so he'll wait...perhaps a week before trying again with something Rune will like better.

* * *

_thanks a lot for having candy delivered._

Rune seems to approach texting as a businesslike extraction and dissemination of information, no matter how subtly affectionate or outright flirtatious Addam is. Nearly everything they've discussed has had to do with either Quinn's response to the medication they're working on or Addam's unfortunate but necessary interactions with his sole currently-remaining business partner, Geoff. Between picking up the pieces of his business and Rune's own unpredictable work schedule, they've been too busy to meet in person, and Addam is really starting to feel the lack of it.

And yet, despite the almost professional nature of Rune's messages, in the week and a half they've been exchanging texts, Rune has never once used punctuation, which is why this one has Addam a little cautious in thinking the candy went over any better than the flowers last week.

Several minutes later (Rune is also rather slow at typing on his phone), there is clarification: _brand intercepted it, as he does all packages that come to this house, in case of some improbably high possibility of bombs or anthrax or spring-loaded razors coated with poison, and it sent him on a ransack of the entire house in case you managed to sneak me any earlier snacks. so he found my twinkies and my zebra cakes and even the fucking nutty bars I had hidden under a floorboard in my sanctum, and now I have no snacks, most especially not your fancy-ass chocolates. so thanks for the thought, and if you do it again your ass will find itself making the immediate and intimate acquaintance of a fireball._

Addam has read it twice and is torn between slightly discouraged at the second failure and amused at both the rant and the fact that, apparently, Rune CAN manage punctuation when required but still won't attempt capitalization, by the time Rune manages to type a short follow-up: _but if you can get them to me without getting caught i'll set geoff's ass on fire for you instead_

Addam feels significantly better at the rude offer, which should tell him quite a bit about how much value he already places on Rune's opinion of him. Rune is shaping up to be very different from anyone he's ever dated before, which, in all fairness, is a large part of why Addam likes him so much. Between how he is around Quinn, and his beautiful, brave personality, and his beautiful, perfect ass, and how dating him looks like it will be an unconventional challenge, Addam has a feeling he won't grow bored of being with Rune.

In spite of the rather daunting task of dealing with his business in the aftermath of his former business partners, life is distinctly looking up.

After a moment of consideration, he texts Brand: _I've just been informed at length of your displeasure over my recent romantic overture, and precisely how Rune feels about the ensuing witch hunt and purge of his snack foods. Any suggestions on Companion-approved alternative courtship practices?_

_Coffee. Caffeine is a more acceptable addiction than sugar or nicotine._

The thread bumps several more times in succession as Brand apparently guesses the exact direction of his thoughts.

_Picture the look on Rune's face when you send him Kopi luwak and think on whether it's really fucking worth it._

_In fact, I'll just fucking spare you the trouble of thinking at all: No. Do not send him poop coffee._

_He would not brew it in the house, and if he was fucking sleep-deprived enough to try, I would load it into a godsdamn shotgun like scattershot and shoot him in the fucking ass. People can absorb caffeine through the skin so he'd have no right to complain. If there was any left over I'd pepper the side your car. We do not drink cat shit in this house._

Addam types back with dignity: _I would not have sent that particular kind. It is unethically harvested._

____

_We're not on a job. Take his ass OUT for coffee. Fucking Christ I know Rune's hopeless but I shouldn't have to teach YOU how to make time for your boyfriend._

____

Addam, again, feels significantly better at the rude support, which he isn't as offended by as he might once have been. He immediately acts on the advice.

____

_I have it on authority that Brand will allow me to take you on a coffee date, and if you put chocolate syrup in yours, I won't tell._

____

_oh hell yes :)_ Rune responds, and it's the first time he's texted a smiley. Addam feels quite warm inside. It's followed pretty promptly by a second text: _when?_

____

Addam grins and pulls up his calendar.

____


End file.
